Leak Locating Shingle

ABSTRACT

A leak locating shingle comprises a body portion of the shingle with three tabs extending from a lower edge of the shingle. The upper corners of the body portion are trimmed at an angle. When two leak locating shingles are placed side by side, a water-trapping groove is created where the trimmed upper corners meet. If a leak occurs, water runs along the top edge of a shingle, until it encounters a water-trapping groove where the flow of the water trail is interrupted, due to the loss of a continuous path along the upper edge of the shingles. As water accumulates in the water-trapping groove, any water overflow occurs at the bottom of the water-trapping groove, causing the water to run over the top of the shingles. This limits the range of the water trail, and allows roof repair workers to more easily locate and repair the leak.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

STATEMENT REGARDING FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH OR DEVELOPMENT

Not Applicable

REFERENCE TO SEQUENCE LISTING, A TABLE, OR A COMPUTER PROGRAM LISTING COMPACT DISC APPENDIX

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to shingle tiles for roofing.

2. Description of the Related Art

Roofers commonly utilize an asphalt shingle to protect a roof from weather and water damage. Among the various types of shingles available in the prior art are three-tab shingles, in which a long shingle body has three tabs extending from a lower edge of the shingle. In installation, these shingles are placed side by side along a lower edge of a roof. After this lower row is installed, another row is installed above the lower row, with the tabs of the shingles in the upper row overlapping the shingles in the lower row. This process is completed until the entire roof is covered.

Problems in this design arise when a leak forms in a shingle. Water will leak through the leak source and run along the top edge of a row of shingles. This water trail may extend for a considerable length of the roof. When roof repair workers attempt to find the source, this water trail may extend for dozens of feet in either direction from the leak source. This often creates a need to remove shingles along the entire length of the water trail in an attempt to locate the leak source. This frequently results in a loss of an excessive amount of labor and materials spent removing and replacing serviceable shingles.

A solution is needed to address one or more of these shortcomings in the prior art.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A leak locating shingle comprises a body portion of the shingle with three tabs extending from a lower edge of the shingle. The upper corners of the body portion are trimmed at approximately a 22.5° angle.

During installation, these shingles are placed side by side along a lower edge of a roof. After this lower row is installed, another row is installed above the lower row, with the tabs of the shingles in the upper row overlapping the shingles in the lower row. This process is completed until the entire roof is covered.

When two leak locating shingles are placed side by side, a water-trapping groove is created where the trimmed upper corners meet. When a leak occurs, water runs along the top edge of a shingle. When the water trail encounters a water-trapping groove, the flow of the water trail is interrupted, due to the loss of a continuous path along the upper edge of the row of shingles.

As water begins to accumulate in the water-trapping groove, any water overflow occurs at the bottom of the water-trapping groove, causing the water to run over the top of the shingles. This limits the range of the water trail, and allows roof repair workers to more easily locate and repair the leak.

It should be understood that while this disclosure references three tab shingles, the system may likewise be used with dimensional shingles, architectural shingles, T-Lock shingles shingles, or other shingle type wherein the shingles are aligned with the top edge of the shingles in a row.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 depicts a three tab shingle of the prior art.

FIG. 2 depicts an example of an installation pattern of three tab shingles of the prior art, with a water trail extending from a leak source.

FIG. 3 depicts a leak locating shingle of the present invention.

FIG. 4 depicts an example of an installation pattern of leak locating shingles, with a water trail extending from a leak source.

FIG. 5 depicts the various layers of a cross-sectional view of a leak locating shingle.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Referring now to the drawings, a leak locating shingle 30 is constructed in layers. Referring to FIG. 3, each layer of a leak locating shingle 30 has a body portion 32, typically thirty-six inches (91.4 cm) in length and seven inches (17.8 cm) in height. Three tabs 34 extend from downward from the lower edge of the body portion 32. Each tab 34 is approximately twelve inches (30.5 cm) long and five inches (12.7 cm) in height, with a small gap 36 between each tab 34. The upper corners of the body portion 32 are trimmed at approximately a 22.5° angle, at a depth of one to three inches (2.5-7.6 cm), and a width of one half to one and one half inches (1.3-3.8 cm). These angled edges form a water-trapping groove 38 when the leak locating shingle 30 is placed adjacent to another leak locating shingle 30.

Referring now to FIG. 5, a leak locating shingle 30 typically comprises three or more layers. A first layer is typically a glass fiber reinforcing mat 50, comprising fiberglass bonded with resin. A second layer is typically an asphalt layer 52. A final layer typically comprises mineral or ceramic granules 54.

Referring now to FIG. 4, leak locating shingles 30 are installed in an overlapping pattern, as shown. Leak locating shingles 30 are placed side by side along a lower edge of a roof to create a lower row. A next row of leak locating shingles 30 is then placed slightly approximately 5.5 inches (14.0 cm) higher and offset laterally approximately six inches (15.2 cm) to stagger the rows such that the tabs 34 of higher leak locating shingles 30 slightly cover the gaps 36 between the tabs 34 of lower leak locating shingles 30. This process is repeated until the roof is substantially covered by leak locating shingles 30.

This arrangement allows the trimmed corners of the body portion 32 of the leak locating shingles 30 to form a water-trapping grove 38. In the event that a leak occurs, water passes through a leak source 20 and travels under a row of leak locating shingles 30. A water trail 22 travels from the leak source 20 along the top edge of the body portion 32 of the leak locating shingle 30. When the water trail 22 encounters a water-trapping groove 38, the water trail 22 stops its lateral movement as it pools in the water-trapping groove 38.

Once a sufficient amount of the water trail 22 has pooled in the water-trapping groove 38, the water begins to pass out of the water-trapping groove 38 near the bottom of the water-trapping groove 38 where the two adjacent leak locating shingles 30 meet.

Ideally, the water trail 22 passes out of the water-trapping groove 38 over the leak locating shingles 30 and runs off the surface of the roof. In rare cases, however, the water trail 22 may pass out of the water-trapping groove 38 under the leak locating shingle 30. In this case, the water trail 22 travels along the top edge of the body portion 32 of a leak locating shingle 30 beneath the first leak locating shingle 30 until it encounters a water-trapping groove 38, as described above.

In repairing a leak source 20, workers find the water trail 22 and attempt to follow the water trail 22 to the leak source 20. Referring to roof shingles 10 of the prior art, as depicted in FIG. 1, workers would have no way to locate the lateral location of the leak source 20, as depicted in FIG. 2. Workers typically would have to remove all roof shingles 10 along the lateral row of the leak source 20 until the leak source 20 was found.

Referring now to FIG. 4, workers may be able to find the lateral location of the leak source 20 more easily with the leak locating shingle 30. The expulsion of the water trail 22 over the leak locating shingle 30 at the water-trapping groove 38 allows workers to quickly ascertain the lateral location of the leak source 20 within the length of one or two leak locating shingles 30. Quickly finding the location of the leak source 20 allows the workers to save labor hours in locating the leak source 20 and refrain from removing a significant number of leak locating shingles 30 when such removal would be unnecessary to repair the leak source 20.

It should be understood that while this disclosure references three tab shingles, the system may likewise be used with dimensional shingles, architectural shingles, or T-Lock shingles, or other shingle type wherein the shingles are aligned with the top edge of the shingles in a row. 

I claim:
 1. A shingle for roofing, comprising: (A) a body portion; and (B) at least one angled channel situated between a top edge and a side edge of the body portion.
 2. The shingle of claim 1, wherein the body portion comprises three tabs extending downward from an upper portion of the body portion.
 3. The shingle of claim 1, wherein the shingle is constructed of two or more layers.
 4. The shingle of claim 3, wherein the layers comprise: (A) at least one glass fiber reinforcing mat; (B) at least one asphalt layer; and (C) granules of either mineral or ceramic composition.
 5. The shingle of claim 4, wherein the body portion comprises three tabs extending downward from an upper portion of the body portion.
 6. A method of shingling a roof, comprising: (A) providing shingles, the shingles comprising: (i) a body portion, and (ii) at least one angled channel situated between a top edge and a side edge of the body portion; (B) affixing the shingles to a roof in multiple rows, the shingles being adjacent to each other in each row, wherein the tab of shingles in higher rows rest on top of the shingles in lower rows.
 7. The method of claim 6 wherein the body portion comprises three tabs extending downward from an upper portion of the body portion.
 8. The method of claim 6, wherein the shingle is constructed of two or more layers.
 9. The shingle of claim 8, wherein the layers comprise: (A) at least one glass fiber reinforcing mat; (B) at least one asphalt layer; and (C) granules of either mineral or ceramic composition.
 10. The shingle of claim 9, wherein the body portion comprises three tabs extending downward from an upper portion of the body portion. 